The Change of Status for the Women of Medieval Europe Throughout the ages, women have been seen as subservient and compliant towards men. The spawning of the medieval age, however, brought about numerous changes for the benefit of the female gender. Women's status in northern and southern Europe improved drastically both privately (through property rights and more input in family matters), and publicly (owing to job advancements and education) throughout Medieval Europe.

With their husbands gone during the Crusades, women now had the duty and rights to maintain their property. For example, in both northern and southern Europe, when the lord of an estate was away, the lady of the house managed the estate by means of supervising the staff, along with making financial and legal decisions. The women were able to hold land, inherit it, sell it, or give it away. This was also a considerable advancement when taking into account the ladies of this era still experienced an inferior legal status.

The ease in which the transition between the lord and lady took place implies some sort of partnership in a marriage. This was a substantial advancement compared to prior time periods when marriage was anything but a partnership.

The voice medieval women possessed in their marriages further established the idea of a marriage based on a partnership. For example, in southern Europe, Italian kins-women bought with them traditions of involvement in the Crusades, and would persuade their husbands to join in the cause. The influence of the women was so high; it became the second leading cause for men to join in the Crusades. This persuasion leads us to believe the women of this time had an influential place in the family. This is further proven by the impact the women had on the religious conversions at the...

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8 pages171Apr/20044.3

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